Colossians 2:16

Colossians 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

Context of Colossians 2:16

14We are guilty of many wrong things that are against God's laws. But Christ died on the cross on our behalf. He paid the debt of our sins. It is like he has destroyed the list of all the debts that we should pay to God. 15On the cross, Christ took away the power of the bad spirits that have authority to rule people. He showed clearly that he himself has won against them. Now everyone can see that those bad spirits have no power. Some people may tell you that it is wrong for you to eat or to drink certain things. Or they make rules about special festival days, about new moons, or about the Jewish days for rest. Do not agree with people like that. 17Rules like that are only like shadows of real things that would happen later. But now we have what is real, Christ himself! 18Some people may tell you that you must always serve other people like a slave. They may tell you that you must worship angels. Do not let those people speak bad things against you. They like to talk a lot about the special things that God has shown them. They think that they are very clever. But their ideas only come from human minds.

Colossians 2:16 word by word

Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει καὶ ἐν πόσει ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νεομηνίας ἢ σαββάτων,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Letκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• noμήmē · notG3361
• manτιςtis · oneG5100
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• youσύsu · youG4771
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• meatβρῶσιςbrōsis · eatingG1035
• orἤē · orG2228
• drinkπόσιςposis · drinkG4213
• respectμέροςmeros · partG3313
• of an holydayἑορτήheortē · festivalG1859
• of the new moonνουμηνίαnoumēnia · New MoonG3561
• of the sabbathσάββατονsabbaton · SabbathG4521

Cross-references for Colossians 2:16

• Romans 14:3People who eat anything must not think that they are better than people who eat only vegetables. Also, people who eat only vegetables must not judge other people who eat anything. They are not doing anything wrong, because God himself has accepted them.
• 1 Corinthians 10:28But someone there may say to you, ‘They offered this food to an idol.’ If someone tells you that, do not eat the food. It might cause trouble to the thoughts of the person who told you.
• Galatians 2:12When he first arrived in Antioch, Peter had been eating meals with the Gentile believers there. Then James sent some Jewish believers from Jerusalem to Antioch. After those men had arrived, Peter started to keep himself separate from the Gentiles. He stopped eating meals with them. He was afraid of those Jews who wanted to circumcise the Gentile believers.
• James 4:11My Christian friends, do not say bad things against each other. If you speak against another believer, you are really speaking against God's Law. If you judge another believer, then you are judging the law too. When you do that, you are not obeying the Law. You are giving yourself authority to decide what the Law says.
• Leviticus 11:2‘Some animals walk on the land. Tell Israel's people which of these animals they can eat.
• Leviticus 17:10An Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you must not eat blood. And they must not drink it. If somebody does, God will turn away from him. He will take that person away from his people.
• Deuteronomy 14:3Do not eat anything that God says is unclean.
• Ezekiel 4:14Then I said, ‘No, Almighty Lord, I could not use human dung. It would make me unclean. Since I was a child I have never eaten any food that would make me unclean. I have never eaten meat from a dead animal that people have found. I have not eaten meat from an animal that wild animals have killed.’
• Matthew 15:11It is not food that goes into people's mouths that makes them unclean. Instead, what comes out of people's mouths is important. It may show that what is inside them is unclean.’
• Acts 11:3So they said to Peter, ‘You stayed in the house of men who were not circumcised. You even ate meals with them!’
• Acts 15:20Instead of that, we should write a letter to tell them how to live as believers. We should say to them, “Do not eat any food which people have given to their idols. That food has become unclean. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it.”
• Romans 14:2Some people believe that they may eat all kinds of food. But other people are not so sure, so they eat only vegetables.
• 1 Corinthians 8:7But not everyone understands properly about idols. Before they believed in Christ, some people worshipped idols for many years. So if they eat food that people have offered to an idol, they become afraid. They think that the food belongs to a real god. Their thoughts are weak. They think that they are doing something wrong.
• 1 Timothy 4:3They say that it is wrong for anyone to marry. They tell people not to eat certain kinds of food. But God made those foods for people to eat! We should understand God's true message and trust him. Then we will receive the food that he has given us and we will thank him for it.
• Hebrews 9:10The old rules taught people about different kinds of food and drink. They taught about how people should wash in special ways. Those rules were about people's bodies. They had authority only until the time when God would make things new and better.
• Hebrews 13:9Some people teach all kinds of strange new things. Do not let them lead you away from God's true message. It is good that God is very kind to us. That is what makes us strong inside ourselves. Rules about what foods we should eat do not make us strong like that. Those rules have never helped the people who tried to obey them.

Commentaries on Colossians 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Let no man - judge you in meat, or in drink - The apostle speaks here in reference to some particulars of the hand-writing of ordinances, which had been taken away, viz., the distinction of meats and drinks, what was clean and what unclean, according to the law; and the necessity of observing certain holydays or festivals, such as the new moons and particular sabbaths, or those which should be observed with more than ordinary solemnity; all these had been…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Let no man, therefore, judge you - compare Romans 14:10, note, 13, note. The word judge here is used in the sense of pronouncing a sentence. The meaning is, “since you have thus been delivered by Christ from the evils which surrounded you: since you have been freed from the observances of the law, let no one sit in judgment on you, or claim the right to decide for you in those matters. You are not responsible to man for your conduct, but to Christ; and no…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-17Verses 8-17 There is a philosophy which rightly exercises our reasonable faculties; a study of the works of God, which leads us to the knowledge of God, and confirms our faith in him. But there is a philosophy which is vain and deceitful; and while it pleases men's fancies, hinders their faith: such are curious speculations about things above us, or no concern to us. Those who walk in the way of the world, are turned from following Christ. We have in Him…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16what you eat or drink: Many ancient religions had rules about what foods and drinks they allowed. The Old Testament does not prohibit alcohol, but some devout Jews chose not to drink it, especially those who lived in non-Jewish cultures (see Daniel 1:8–16). Many ancient religious groups, including Jews, held ceremonies to celebrate the new moon (see Numbers 10:10; Psalm 81:3; Isaiah 1:13). The Jewish Sabbath was part of the law of Moses and essential in…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. therefore--because ye are complete in Christ, and God in Him has dispensed with all subordinate means as essential to acceptance with Him. meat ... drink--Greek, "eating ... drinking" (Ro 14:1-17). Pay no regard to any one who sits in judgment on you as to legal observances in respect to foods. holyday--a feast yearly. Compare the three, 1Ch 23:31. new moon--monthly. the sabbath--Omit "THE," which is not in the Greek (compare Note, see on Ga 4:10)…Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 2:16

• Commandments
• Law
• Philosophy
• Sabbath
• Types

In the dictionaries

• New Moon
• Complete
• Conflict
• Subject
• Treasure
• Trespass
• Apostolic Age
• Astrology
• Colossians, Epistle to the
• Fable

Commentaries on Colossians 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings